Rochdale Army Cadets join worldwide salute to the fallen of Gallipoli

Salute to the fallen of Gallipoli

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Cadets from Greater Manchester Army Cadets, including a number of Rochdale cadets, played their part in commemorating the centenary of the Allied Landings at Gallipoli in 1915, in which soldiers from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand fought alongside each other. They joined a worldwide commemoration on Sunday 26 April in which thousands of people in Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and the UK paid their respects.

The Manchester Army Cadets were from 1 (Minden) Company GMACF, which recruits in Rochdale and Bury, and they marched alongside regular soldiers from 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Reservists from 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the Pipes and Drums of the Lorne Scots (a Canadian Infantry Regiment), veterans from all three services and other cadet contingents.

Bury, once the garrison town of the Lancashire Fusiliers, marks the Landings every year due to the regiment being one of the first units to fight its way ashore, and thus winning the famous “Six VCs before Breakfast” – currently the inspiration behind a very special display in the Fusilier Museum in the town centre.

This year’s event was especially grand – because of the centenary - as the 130 cadets were joined by civil and military representatives from all over the North West and beyond, as well as Commonwealth representation from Australia, New Zealand and Canada including:

• The Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester
• The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester
• The Mayors of Rochdale, Bury, Oldham, Salford, St Helens, Trafford and Wigan
• The Mayor of Tyneside
• Rear Admiral John Trewby RN
• Brigadier David Paterson, Colonel of the RRF
• Colonel Bob Adcock, the Lorne Scots Regiment
• Squadron Leader Ben George, the Australian High Commission
• Grant Jenkins, New Zealand High Commission

On behalf of the cadets and the adult instructors, the commandant would like to thank all those who turned out to lend their support to those on parade.